Musical Coffee Chairs

When street photographers go out for coffee - there is a mad rush for the "best seat." What exactly the best seat means - is open for interpretation. This time, I think I got the "best seat" because I could pre-focus on the place where people put milk in their coffee. I'm pretty certain that I could spend an entire day photographing one Starbucks, or maybe any coffeeshop. Has anyone done that yet? Probably but we don't know about it because the movie hasn't come out yet: Starbucks - The Movie. Hey, they're producing music already, why not do a story about how they arrived on earth and took over like the pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Blizzard, 2nd Avenue

Blizzard '06 - 2nd Avenue

I got a little nervous about the shutter speeds on the Pentax 67 not lining up correctly. Still not sure if I underexposed everything by a stop. Anyway, this was done during the height of the storm around 9 a.m. this morning and I have at least one more that I like from the 67. Then I picked up the M3 and wandered around a little bit more freely.

blizzard and pentax 67

I am going in and out of the blizzard with the 67. Not far. Just around my block and so far haven't gone past 2nd avenue. Tripod of course. Mirror lock up - of course. I can't get the meter in the thing to work. Just one funny thing: it is true this makes a noise like a tank rolling over rubble when it fires off but if a Pentax 67 fires in a blizzard and nobody hears it - did it fire? You see where I'm going. Anyway, I'm just taking it easy. Go out - shoot a roll. Back into the house and drink some coffee. Oh, and I will say this: the Pentax 67 is not exactly a delicate camera.

Times Square Turnstile

Times Square Display

Times Square #2





Times Square #3
Times Square (two days ago)

Miss Universe

She was waiting to be interviewed in Times Square. I was told she was Miss Universe. The interview took place in Gerrman. Whether she is or isn't - she has my vote.

Schoolboys

A few days ago.

Negatives

Hanging up strips of film to dry. Look carefully at the frames. How'd you do? You blew that one. But you got the other. What mysteries are revealed? Nothing like it.

Pentax 67

Frantic sort of morning rushing down by car to B&H to pick up ink (bought the 220 ml stuff this time); and then back up to Matt's to pick up the Pentax 67 from him. It is a mighty chunk of photographic funk. Then cleaning it up, and there were a few things I couldn't remember so I hunted around on the web and downloaded a PDF of the original 67 manual. Haven't put any film in it yet. Two lenses: 55mm and a 165mm. I think it was the idea of the snow that's supposed to be on the way that gave me a final push to play with the thing.

Another odd thing is that while I was there I picked up some HP5 plus (35mm) for Matt - and apparently this stuff is getting to be harder to come by. They only had 15 rolls left, and according to Matt the stuff has been going in and out of stock very quickly. I'm still going for Tri-x but it is starting to get nerve-wracking.

On the other hand, I bought a lot of ink in 220 ml holders (yikes they are big) for the 4800. Sort of scary to lay out that kind of money for ink all in one shot, but I keep telling myself: I'm saving money. I'm saving money.

Which is what I guess you folks that come back with the 50 pack roll of toilet paper (big savings) which gets stored in the basement tell yourselves late at night: I'm saving money. I'm saving money...

The Universe

In my quest for the spiritual center of New York city (some might call it a vortex), I went out last night on the 6 train and headed downtown not sure where I was going. I had my trusty M3 and a tripod with me. The train was crowded at 9 p.m. I tried to get a feel for where I was headed.

Maybe I'd go way downtown on a downtown train. Maybe Chinatown. I've never photographed Chinatown at night. Oh, Chinatown isnt' the center of anything. The center of the New York Universe is Times Square. Face it. Glitter. Shows. Tourists. Sales. Recruiting station. Police station. And giga-video displays. The tourist know where the center of the city is.

And so I hop off the 6 train at Grand Central. How grand it is. And then hop on the shuttle and in two shakes of a New Yorkers tail I'm in the hub, the center, the spiritual swirl of New York City.

And guess what? I'm standing in the exact center of the New York Universe, when a small video crew arrives with two models. Gawd, I think, they're making them skinny. It's cold out and I'm edging back when one of the crew says to me - "she's worth a picture or two."

So I get closer and sure enough, the tall skinny one is beautiful. The videographer is swirling around her as she walks back and forth in the hub of our universe. I take a couple of shots of her.

Who is she, I ask the guy.

She's Miss Universe - he says.

And sure enough - turns out she is the reigning Miss Universe.

Not Miss America. Not Miss New York. Miss queen of everything known to exist. Queen of the whole Universe (assuming there is only one universe, but when she flashed me a 100-megawatt smile she was brighter than all of Times Square and I knew that for one year she was in charge of things and would do her best to calm an anxious world).

And so there you have it. I have not only arrived at the center of the New York universe, but been greeted with an incarnation of same as well. Film at 11. All times are approximate.

Answer or Not

Dear Mr Becherman

i am a A level photography student and i am working in Black and white. right now i am working on a essay asking wether or not there is a place for black and white photography in the 21st century. for a part of this i have been looking for artists statements on why the use black and white instead of colour in the work. i would very much appreciate it if you could tell me why you use black and white photography? what is it that fascinates you about it? i am sorry to trouble you but im sure you can be a big help. yours sinceraly...

What do you say, answer or don't answer? I'm inclined not to since my name wasn't spelled correctly. On the other hand I don't know what "A level" means. Is that public school? Also I would have a big problem trying to honestly answer the question.

Honeymooners

Ralph

Norton, it's like I always say: 'Be kind to the people you meet on the way up... 'cause you're gonna meet the same people on the way down.'